New Bedford Wails as Council Votes 12-4 on Least Restrictive Surf Clam Habitat Motion
What happened to the boy who cried wolf? The fishing press is treating the New England council vote on surf clam habitat as an unmitigated disaster.
What happened was that the council voted for a more restrictive version of option 2 than favored by industry, that closed 2 additional exemption zones, leaving 5 zones open rather than 7. The two additonal zones closed, however, were sites of major surf clam fisheries.
The council claimed it was not closing these zones permanently, known as Rose and Crown and Zone D, but would work with industry to identify areas within these zones that would be reopened to clam dredging.
The industry was hoping for an unequivocal acceptance ...
To Read Full Story Login Below.